It’s common for people to open a short video, thinking they’ll just watch the one — then realize they’re still on the app an hour later. YouTube is adding a new timer feature to help users manage this behavior, a move that reflects both growing public pressure on tech platforms and the company’s interest in fostering long-term engagement rather than risking user burnout.

Users can set a daily time limit for Shorts viewing through the app’s settings. Once they reach their limit, they see a pop-up notifying them that scrolling on the Shorts feeds is paused — though the pop-up is dismissible.

Earlier this year, after Android Authority spotted the feature in development in one of the Android APKs (app files), YouTube confirmed it was exploring the time-limit feature for Shorts consumption.

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